Introducing the Frork, McDonald's New Utensil Made from Fries

Lately, fast food companies have been serving their signature sandwiches with a side of self-aware satire. During the week before April Fool’s Day, for example, Burger King released a mock infomercial for "Whopper Toothpaste," which promised to give customers long-lasting burger breath. Now, Vocativ reports that McDonald’s has introduced a new custom utensil called the “frork”—a fork with French fries as prongs.

Unlike Whopper Toothpaste, the frork actually exists: It was designed to promote the franchise’s Signature Crafted Recipes sandwiches, which include Pico Guacamole, Sweet BBQ Bacon, and Maple Bacon Dijon. All three burgers have one thing in common: an abundance of messy toppings. (Check out the infomercial touting their “frork” below.)

“When savoring these recipes, there’s a hitch you just can’t ditch: the topping dropping,” McDonald’s pitchman (and infomercial superstar) Anthony Sullivan explains in the video. To ensure that no mouthful of guacamole, barbecue sauce, or Dijon is wasted, simply insert some fries into the silicon gadget’s slots, and use them to scoop or sop up the sandwich’s excess condiments.

Customers can snag their own free frorks, or a coupon for a free Signature Crafted Recipes sandwich, by calling 1-844-McD-FRORK. And on May 5, select McDonald’s locations around the country will distribute Frorks to customers who purchase a Signature Crafted Sandwich, while supplies last.

You've Been Using Your Can Opener Wrong

Opening a can with grace isn't easy. Even if your can opener is sharp enough to get the job done, you often end up with a detached lid floating in your food, forcing you to fish it out and risk getting a nasty cut. Fortunately, it is possible to remove and dispose of your jagged can lid seamlessly, and you don't need to buy a new kitchen gadget to do so: You just need to rethink the way you use the can opener you already have at home.

A tweet that was shared on August 10 demonstrated how simply adjusting the position of your can opener can improve your life in the kitchen. Instead of hinging the can opener on the lip of the can so that the crank faces out to the side, have it face up toward the ceiling. Turn the knob like you normally would, and then once you've completed a full rotation, lift the opener away from the can. Thanks to that extra strip of metal the lid should still be attached to the can opener. Now you can move it over to the trash bin without getting your hands dirty.

The original Tweet has since been deleted, but YouTuber Calvin Zolinas recreated the hack in the video below. After seeing how it's done you can dig a can out of your pantry and try out the trick for yourself at home.

Plenty of common kitchen problems—like fast-wilting greens and slow-ripening avocados—can be solved with some simple hacks. Check out this list for more culinary tips.

The Mystery of the Stinky Dairy Queen in Calgary Has Just Been Solved

Walking into an ice cream parlor is supposed to be one of the most pleasant sensory experiences you can have, with the assortment of frozen treats giving off a very enticing aroma. This is particularly true of the Dairy Queen franchise, which offers signature items like Blizzards at hundreds of locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Unfortunately, one location in Calgary has been having trouble satisfying patrons who walk in expecting the scent of vanilla. This Dairy Queen has smelled like the explosive flatulence of someone who has just eaten rotten eggs. And someone finally found out why.

Sujad Bandali told CBC News that the mystery odor had been plaguing his location since it opened in January 2015. At first he was so concerned it might be something dangerous—like a gas leak—that he called utility workers and area firefighters to check for a burst utility supply pipe. He also had the building examined for carbon monoxide, which is normally odorless but may be accompanied by a foul smell as a result of incomplete combustion [PDF]. He made sure there wasn’t a sewage problem.

Nothing was found. His place just stunk.

Curiously, not everyone could detect it. Bandali said half his staff wasn’t bothered by it, while some customers exited as soon as they caught a whiff. Bandali posted a warning on his front door alerting people to the smell awaiting them upon entering. Predictably, this was bad for business.

A desperate Bandali offered a free Blizzard once a week for a year to anyone who could tell him where the smell was coming from, a move that was widely publicized. Help finally arrived Wednesday when the local gas company, ATCO, arrived for yet another inspection. (Presumably, they came at Bandali's request, not solely because of the Blizzard offer.) This time, a worker performed a “dead check,” turning off all the gas appliances in the building and then looking to see if the gas meter was still running. If it was, that would indicate a gas leak. It was running. A small leak was coming from the ceiling. With the repair made, the store finally smells of the welcoming aroma given off by their Peanut Buster Parfait inventory.

Bandali told CBC News that he was relieved that the source of the franchise’s fumes was finally located. This discovery, he said, proved that “I was not losing my mind.”